The Wizards Advocate
by Dirk-Gently
Summary: Another year at Hogwarts with an exciting twist. After the catastrophic events of September 11 a group of American boys and girls attend Hogwarts School of Witccraft and Wizardry. Please R


1 Wizards Advocate  
  
By Dirk Gently  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. They are the property of J.K. Rowling.  
  
Author's note: PG13 for death and/or sad or scary situations later on (you have been warned  
  
Chapter 1  
  
If you were to ask the folks on Privet Drive of any unusual occurrences, you could expect any one of them to give you 'the eye' and ask you just what you were planning.  
  
They would not of course, whether this is comforting or disturbing, laugh at you. The folks on Privet Drive didn't laugh often. And if they did, your guess was as good as theirs as to why. Nothing happened on Privet Drive that would cause so much as a ripple in the world. The folks of Privet Drive, yes the one who don't laugh, are perfectly content to know this.  
  
Therefore, you could never expect anything out of the ordinary, let alone extraordinary, to occur there. But the house numbered 4 on Privet Drive held a secret. One that could not, would not be revealed. At first glance, Number 4 was as ordinary as they came. It held a family of three, a husband/father to put food on the table, a wife/mother to keep things tidy, and a son/...something to keep them busy with one thing or another. But someone else lived in number 4 and he was the secret. He was the misfortune that had been bestowed upon number 4 fifteen years ago...  
  
Harry Potter scanned the index of 1001 Magical Herbs and Fungi and paused at the top of the R section. The tip of his quill moved down the page and stopped at a line marked: Ricardi ... Page 347.  
  
Harry placed his quill on a bit of parchment to keep spots off the sheets. He didn't know what Mrs. Dursley would say if she found ink spots on his sheets. Harry kept his flashlight pointed downward so as not to attract the attention of his aunt or uncle who were sleeping in a room down the hall. He had studied like this for the past 4 years of his life, in secret and in the middle of the night. He was forbidden to study magic by day and as a matter of fact, night as well. The Dursleys who, if you haven't guessed by now, are the inhabitants of number 4, didn't approve of magic in the least. Harry was the secret of number 4.  
  
He shuffled under his covers to become comfortable and shined the flashlight down on page 347. It read:  
  
  
  
Ricardi is a plant found specifically in North America and is particularly rare and endangered. The reason is has earned endangered status is because Non-Magic people (muggles) often believe that it is a weed. They think that they can spray plant killing potions all over them and expect them to be back next spring. While true with weeds this is not the case with Ricardi. Once killed it will not show up again in the same area. For this reason little is known about Ricardi. What is known is that it is used in many complex potions such as Veritisyrum (a strong truth potion) and The Draft of Living Death (which is exactly what it sounds like). But Ricardi is most famous for what it can do alone. In medieval times the Auror Rigel Arthurs was known to have defeated entire hordes of trolls and warrior muggles a thousand fold stronger than he, because he ate a Ricardi leaf before each battle. It is said that for 2 hours after consumption the Ricardi owner could not bleed and was therefore hard to kill. Somehow, truth leaked out to muggles who invented their own story about a King Arthur. They claimed that King Arthur could not bleed because of his sword Excalibur. There was no King Arthur but Rigel Arthurs did exist and because of his royal appearance, earned himself a title in muggle fiction.  
  
  
  
Harry shuffled through a pile of loose papers to his left in search of a blank sheet of parchment. Once found, he began to write yet another essay for History of Magic. Harry knew it must be very late. His eyelids grew heavier with each word he wrote. Finally, he silently climbed out of bed and snuck his books, quills, ink, and unfinished essay under the loose floorboard in his room. He glanced at the clock, paused, removed his glasses, wiped them on his shirt, placed them back on his nose and looked at the clock again. It certainly was late! His clock read 11:54 July 30.  
  
Harry remembered that his clock was 5 minutes slow after Dudley had pitched it out the window last fall and knew it was 1 minute until midnight. Harry grinned. He would be 15 years old in only 1 minute. He tip-toed to his window and gazed out of it. He knew his friends at hogwarts never forgot his birthday. He looked all around the night sky, lit only by the street lamps and stars, for his birthday mail. One may find it odd that a normal person would await post in the middle of the night. But, Harry wasn't normal. Harry was a wizard.  
  
'Hmmm' thought Harry glancing toward the floorboard in his room 'Maybe Ron will sent me some ricardi for when I play quidditch!'  
  
The young wizard looked out the window again. Nothing.  
  
He looked at his clock. It read: 12:12 which meant it was really 12:07.  
  
Odd.  
  
Had Ron and Hermione forgotten where he lived? Or had they completely forgotten his birthday? Had Sirius been caught? Harry hadn't heard from him in a long time and since he didn't get The Daily Prophet, he had no way of staying in touch with the wizarding world. Maybe Hagrid didn't like him anymore… a million and one thoughts raced through Harry's head but soon he forgot them entirely…  
  
4 owls had appeared in the sky. One had to almost push another to keep going. Harry whipped open his window and the tangle of birds landed with a soft thump on his bed. His own owl, Hedwig was the first to stand and fly to her cage for water. Two others followed suit. The fourth owl lay in a heap on Harry's bed. Harry recognized him as Errol, the Weasley's family owl. Harry picked Errol up and carried him to Hedwig's cage. One owl, a handsome barn owl, dropped the parcel it carried and left the cage and flew out the window looking important.  
  
Harry untied the parcels from the other owls' legs. Hegwig gave him a nip on his finger and gave a very quiet hoot of affection. Harry sat on his bed and looked at the parcels that had been deposited on his bed.  
  
He picked the first one up and read the note that came along with it. It read:  
  
  
  
  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
What's up? OK here. Dad got a promotion from Fudge so we went on vacation to visit Charlie and his dragons. Norbert has grown enormous! I sent Hagrid a picture and haven't gotten a response. Still, no news is good news, eh? Anyway, we bought your present there. Unlike the sneakoscope, this might actually prove useful for…exams (mum's gonna read this before I mail it so...you'll see.) Hey, guess what! I asked dad if you could spend the last week of summer with us. Dad wasn't so sure after the whole speech we got from Dumbledore last year, but since it's only the last week it should be fine! With dad's promotion we'll be able to rent a ministry car to pick you up in (so the muggles don't skin you alive!) Have a happy birthday!  
  
Ron  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry set the letter aside and picked up the parcel wrapped in brown packing paper. Inside was a box. He lifted the lid and pulled out the tissue paper. He gasped. Inside the box was a small mirror with a decorative dragon along its edge. Harry lifted it out of the box and another piece of paper fell from inside it.  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry,  
  
Pretty neat, eh? It's a mirror that some street seller sold us. He said that if u ask the mirror a question, the answer would form as a picture in the mirror. But, he said that in order to make it work, the owner has to put a drop of blood on the dragon's eye. That way, only 1 person could use it. Hope it works!  
  
Ron  
  
Ps. Good this dad and mum weren't with us when we bought it! I don't think they'd like the idea of sending it to you. But Charlie reckons it won't do any harm.  
  
  
  
  
  
Harry just looked at the mirror at first then sprang to action. From inside his trunk he fetched the knife Sirius had given him the year before. He pricked his finger on the tip and lowered his finger toward the mirror. Instantly the dragon's eyes lit up and the entire mirror seemed to vibrate.  
  
Harry decided it was time to test the new object.  
  
"What is my name?" asked Harry. Then thin blue lines wrote in scribbled letters the words Harry Potter.  
  
Amazed Harry asked "Where do I live?" The mirror took a little while pondering this and then wrote back 4 Privet Drive, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 5th year dormitory.  
  
Harry was transfixed. This was the best gift ever.  
  
  
  
  
  
That's it for chapter 1. 2 is coming soon!  
  
Next time...  
  
Harry's Birthday, Surprise at Breakfast 


End file.
